Slowly, Rino turned around to meet the eyes of Arianna. His heart was now caught between duty and a strange feeling of responsibility that had latched onto him.
Her words, the fragile voice with which she had begged him not to leave her were solid in the way they came. It didn't hint at a statement or a plea made out of fear, there was something more Rino needed to find out.
Without saying any word, he returned to where Arianna lay, this time sitting gently on the edge of the bed. She watched him with her glimmering eyes that brimmed with unshed tears.
He took her hands again, much more gently this time, as if he feared gripping her further was going to shatter them.
"I'm not leaving," he whispered, brushing a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "I will not leave you, at least not yet. I promise."
